RESEARCH ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION

International Research Journal ISSN-0975-3486 VOL. I * ISSUE—3 &4 RNI : RAJBIL/2009/30097 Research Paper—English WORD IS THE WINDOW ON COMMUNICATION * P. Dasharatham Dec.-09—Jan.-2010 * PhD Scholar, Kakatiya University, Warangal, Andhra Pradesh INTRODUCTION ing, all groups of EFL students agreed that the impor- Advances in information technology, international tant part of learning a language was learning vocabu- communication, scientific knowledge, the economical, lary. Wilkins (1972:111) emphasizes, "Without gram- political changes and application of audio-visual aids mar very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary have transformed the earth into a global village. People nothing can be conveyed". Cook's (1991:37) conclu- of various cultures and nationalities can now meet, sion is consistent with Wilkins in his saying that gram- interact, trade and socialize with utmost ease with the mar provides the overall patterns, vocabulary and the possession of English language in abundance to en- material to put in the patters. One cannot speak, un- lighten their minds by the mutual share of information. derstand, read or write in a global language without Now a days English language acquisition is manda- knowing required and sufficient amount of words. Vo- tory worldwide, because it is the language of technol- cabulary learning is at the heart of mastering a foreign ogy, science, business, internet, and so on. To the language (Rubin & Thompson 1994:79). store of language, the very foundation is a word. Vo- Vocabulary is an essential part of language learn- cabulary is the knowledge of words and word meaning. Although for many years, it was a neglected area ings. It is a fundamental device in language acquisi- of serious linguistic research (Meara1980). Since 1980s, tion and helps one to express oneself amazingly. It is a the field of vocabulary studies has no longer lan- tool to understand the intricacies of language and re- guished as the neglected "Cinderella" of applied lin- spond to unimpaired communication. A sound knowl- guistics. The importance of vocabulary in the ESL edge of vocabulary will open a window to the effec- learning process has been widely recognized and well tive communication which helps to new vistas of knowl- established. Many researchers (Ahmed 1998; edge. Nakamura 2000; Oxford 1990; Schmitt 1997) have iden- SIGNIFICANCE OF WORD-KNOWLEDGE tified a number of specific strategies for learning vo- Words constitute the élan vital of language. A cabulary. In India the changes in teaching of English speech or a written passage, however, short or large is language are mainly discovered in professional insti- essentially a group of sentences and a sentence, in tutions, where the language is being taught in lan- turn, is a group of words. A rich stock of words thus guage laboratories using software solutions, as the becomes quite logically an essential prerequisite of objective of teaching the language today is to enhance language ability development. But vocabulary is dis- communicative competence among students. Meth- regarded by the learners earlier; however, it has been ods of teaching English are also altered and new strat- given greater importance worldwide. Horwitz (1999) egies which have more emphasis on teaching vocabu- using her beliefs about Language Learning Inventory lary have come into existence. All competitive exami- (BALLI) found that with respect to vocabulary learn- nations at present make a direct test of vocabulary 20

International Research Journal ISSN-0975-3486 VOL. I * ISSUE—3&4 RNI : RAJBIL/2009/30097 under items like synonym, antonym, sentence comple- cabulary is considerate in the process of the improve- tion and cloze test analogy. Besides comprehension ment of these skills. Activities and tasks play crucial and sentence arrangement, it is required indirectly a role in vocabulary acquisition. competent understanding of words, their meaning, nu- CLT IN VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT ances and usage for language acquisition to make ef- Activities or tasks are suggestible as language fective communication. As Steven Stahl (2005) as- learning tools. CLT is a modern method to develop serts: 'Vocabulary knowledge is knowledge: the knowl- language acquisition through activities in an interac- edge of a word not only implies a definition, but also tive mode. Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) implies how that word fits into the world.' Vocabulary is an approach to the teaching of a second or foreign knowledge is not something that can ever be fully mas- languages, that emphasizes interaction as both the tered; it is something that expands and deepens over means and the ultimate goal of learning a language. It the course of one's lifetime. Vocabulary development is also referred to as "communicative approach to the is an essential for a student to become an efficient teaching of second languages" or simply the "Com- communicator. By learning new words in terms of mean- municative Approach". Vocabulary acquisition through ing and use, the student can strengthen his/her com- CLT is a suitable and is accepted as an appropriate prehension ability, and consequently, become a po- method. Language is used for communication. For this tential speaker and a writer. reason, CLT makes use of communication to teach lan- LEARNING FEASIBILITY OF VOCABULARY guages. traditional Language Teaching (TLT) places a One cannot deny that a large part of vocabulary lot of emphasis on grammar rules and verb conjuga- can be learnt when the learners are in the community tions, CLT emphasizes real-life situations and commu- of efficient handlers of language. Students may ex- nication in context (Galloway, 1993).So teachers can hibit vocabulary development when communicating focus the teaching of the second language vocabu- informally with others outside the classroom and for- lary in the classroom in such a way that students can mally within the classroom setting. Instruction in vo- communicate consciously, taking into an account of cabulary involves far more than looking up words in a their real experiences. Role play: Students are assigned dictionary and using the words in a sentence. Vocabu- to play the roles. The teacher can assign the roles or lary is acquired incidentally through indirect exposure ask the students to create a situation and play a role. It to words and intentionally through explicit instruction can be done in the following way: in specific words and word-learning strategies. Ac- Aim: To introduce the students the word 'stom- cording to Michael Graves (2000), there are four com- ach ache.' Situation: A patient visits a doctor with a ponents of an effective vocabulary program: ¨ Wide or complaint. One student acts as a doctor and another extensive independent reading to expand word knowl- as a patient. Student-1(patient): Good morning, doc- edge. ¨ Instruction in specific words to enhance com- tor. Student-2 (doctor): Good morning. What is your prehension of texts containing those words. ¨ Instruc- problem? Student-1 does not know how to voice out tion in independent word-learning strategies. ¨ Word his/her complaint. The teacher should help the stu- consciousness and word-play activities to motivate dent at this time by telling the word. Student-2 (pa- and enhance learning. tient): I am suffering from a stomach ache' Students A strong vocabulary will increase speaking skills, learn new words this way. If other two students are which come in handy when speaking to others. Judi- asked to play the same roles, students remember the cious use of vocabulary creates a very pleasant effect word "stomach ache.' on one's associates. The ability to converse with oth- VOCABULARY LEARNING STRATEGIES ers with ease not only improves the confidence but It is not possible for teachers to provide specific earns the respect of others also. Confidence, respect, tasks or activities for all the new words their students ability, and effective communication skills are essen- come across or difficult vocabulary from the prescribed tial keys to success in today's world. The role of vo- texts. Therefore, students should be encouraged to çÚUâ¿ü °ÙæçÜçââ °ÇU §ßñËØé°àæÙ 21

International Research Journal ISSN-0975-3486 VOL. I * ISSUE—3 &4 RNI : RAJBIL/2009/30097 predict the meaning of words with help of the context tion, for the ability to give a definition is often the that are new to them. To witness the effect of vocabu- result of knowing what the word means. Rich and ro- lary acquisition, it is always a wise practice to involve bust vocabulary instruction goes beyond definitional the learners in reading activities. The language instruc- knowledge; it gets students actively engaged in using tors should see that there is a need to develop effec- and thinking about word meanings and in creating re- tive word-learning strategies. Word-learning strategies lationships among words. Explicit instruction in word- include:¨ how to use dictionaries and other reference learning strategies gives students tools for determin- aids to learn word meanings and to deepen the knowl- ing independently the meanings of unfamiliar words edge of word meanings; ¨ how to use information that have not been explicitly introduced in class. For about word parts to figure out the meanings of words example, students may not know the word 'panoply.' in text; ¨ how to use context clues to determine word When they read a sentence in which the word 'pano- meanings; ¨ Word consciousness in communication. ply' is used as: Mr. Smith has good panoply of books, I VOCABULARY EXPLOSION IN MULTIPLE CON- because he loves to read books. Students can guess TEXTS the meaning of the new word 'panoply' as collection One principle of effective vocabulary learning is with the help of the context and the way it is used. In to provide multiple exposures to a word's meaning. word-learning strategy reading is prominent. It intro- There is great improvement in vocabulary when stu- duces the students to new vocabulary by developing dents encounter words often. According to Stahl their prediction ability. (2005), students probably have to see a word more FACTORS IN VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT than once to place it firmly in their long-term memo- Word-learning strategies include dictionary use, ries. This does not mean mere repetition or drill of the morphemic analysis, and contextual analysis. Students word, but meeting the word in different and multiple must learn how to use dictionaries, glossaries, and contexts. In other words, it is important that vocabu- thesauruses to broaden their knowledge of words. lary activities provide students with opportunities to Dictionary use teaches students about multiple word encounter words repeatedly in more than one context meanings, as well as the importance of choosing the so that students learn how a particular word alters in appropriate definition to fit the particular context. shape in different situations, and therefore its gram- Morphemic analysis is the process of deriving a word's matical function also. For example: 1. Be polite in your meaning by analyzing its meaningful parts, or mor- speech. 2. I like your politeness. 3. He spoke politely. phemes. Such word parts include root words, prefixes, In sentence-1 the word 'polite' is an adjective, in sen- and suffixes. Contextual analysis involves inferring the tence-2 it is a noun and in sentence- 3 it is an adverb. meaning of an unfamiliar word by scrutinizing the text The student learns that the three words are used in surrounding it. Instruction in contextual analysis gen- three different sentence structures. Constant exposure erally involves teaching students to employ both ge- to reading helps the students to learn these signifi- neric and specific types of context clues. cant things unconsciously. WORD CONSCIOUSNESS INTENTIONAL VOCABULARY TEACHING A more general way to help students develop To develop vocabulary intentionally, students vocabulary is by fostering word consciousness. Word should be explicitly taught both specific words and consciousness is not an isolated component of vo- word-learning strategies. To deepen students' knowl- cabulary instruction; it needs to be taken into account edge of word meanings, specific word instruction each and every day (Scott and Nagy, 2004). It can be should be robust (Beck et al., 2002). Seeing vocabu- developed at all times and in several ways: through lary in rich contexts provided by authentic texts, rather encouraging adept diction, through word play, and than in isolated vocabulary drills, produces intense through research on word origins or histories. Accord- vocabulary learning (National Reading Panel, 2000). ing to Graves (2000), "If we can get students inter- Such instruction often does not begin with a defini- ested in playing with words and language, then we are 22

International Research Journal ISSN-0975-3486 VOL. I * ISSUE—3&4 RNI : RAJBIL/2009/30097 at least halfway to the goal of creating the sort of word- 2000). According to Kamil (2004), "Once students know conscious students who will make words a lifetime what is expected of them in a vocabulary task, they interest." often learn rapidly." An incident in vocabulary learn- INCIDENTAL VOCABULARY LEARNING ing provides the facility to guess the meaning of the The scientific research on vocabulary instruction word or nearest meaning of the word as per the situa- reveals that most vocabulary is acquired incidentally tion. In communication either oral or writing some through indirect exposure to words. Students can ac- new words meaning can be guessed to understand quire vocabulary incidentally by engaging in rich oral- the situation. The scientific research on vocabulary language experiences at home. Reading volume is very instruction reveals that most vocabulary is learned in- important in terms of long-term vocabulary develop- directly, and some of it directly. Indirect vocabulary ment (Cunningham and Stanovich, 1998). Kamil and learning refers to students' learning vocabulary when Hiebert (2005) reason that extensive reading gives stu- they hear and see words through conversations with dents repeated or multiple exposures to words and it is adults, through being read to, and through reading on also one of the means by which students see vocabu- their own. Direct vocabulary learning refers to stu- lary in rich contexts. Cunningham (2005) recommends dents learning vocabulary through explicit instruction providing structured read-aloud and discussion ses- in both individual words and word-learning strategies. sions and extending independent reading experiences Direct vocabulary instruction aids in reading compre- outside school hours to encourage vocabulary growth hension. in students. It is often assumed that when students do CONCLUSION not learn new vocabulary words, they simply need to The role of vocabulary in global language and its practice the words. Research has shown, however, that effective use in communication for all the fields is very it is often the case that students simply do not under- significant. In second language situation where En- stand the instructional task involved (National Read- glish is largely used for communication, it is inevitable ing Panel, 2000), it is by rather focusing on the words for language teachers to implement strategies and tech- themselves. Teachers should be certain that students niques which would aid the students with vocabulary fully understand the instructional tasks (Schwartz and improvement to make communication more attractive. Raphael, 1985). The restructuring of learning materials Teachers should take care that students learn largely or strategies in various ways often can lead to in- through reading. Reading activities ought to be imple- creased vocabulary acquisition, especially for low- mented in learning centers to allow the students have achieving or at-risk students (National Reading Panel, good store of vocabulary. R E F E R E N C E * Schmitt, N. and D. Schmitt. 1995. Vocabulary notebooks: theoretical under- pinnings and practical suggestions. English Language Teaching Journal 49, 2: 133- 143. *Beck, I.L., McKeown, M.G., & Kucan, K. (2002). Bringing words to life: Robust vocabulary instruction. New York: Guilford Press. *Graves, M.F. (2000). A vocabulary program to complement and bolster a middle-grade comprehension program. In B.M. Taylor, M.F. Graves, & P. van den Broek (Eds.), * Reading for meaning: Fostering comprehension in the middle grades (pp. 116-135).* New York: Teachers College Press; Newark, DE: International Reading Association.* Graves, M.F. (2002). Vocabulary instruction module developed for Reading Excellence Act. *Meara, P. (1980). Vocabulary Acquisition: A neglected aspect of language learning. *Language Teaching and Linguistics: Abstracts, 13/4, pp. 221-246. *Meara, P. (1987). Vocabulary in a Second Language, 2. London: Centre for Information on Language Teaching and Research. *National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. (2002). The report of the National Reading Panel. Teaching children to read: An evidence-based assessment of the scientific literature on reading and its implications for reading instruction. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. *Nagy, W.E., & Scott, J.A. (1990). Word schemas: Expectations about form and meaning of new words. Cognition and Instruction, 7, 105-127. *Rubin, J. & Thompson, I. (1994). How to be a Successful Language Learner. Boston,Massachusetts: Heinle & Heinle. *Stahl, S.A. (1999). Vocabulary development. From reading research to practice: A series for teachers. In. J.S. Chall (Eds.) University of Georgia, National Reading Research Center. *Stahl, S. & Kapinus, B. (2001). Word power: What every educator needs to know about teaching vocabulary. Washington, DC: NEA Professional Library. *Wilkins, D.A. (1972). Linguistics in Language Teaching. London: Edward Arnold. çÚUâ¿ü °ÙæçÜçââ °ÇU §ßñËØé°àæÙ 23

RESEARCH ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION

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RESEARCH ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION — Document Transcript